Adjustable drive



9, 1940. SLOAN ADJUSTABLE DRIVE Filed Aug; 24, 19:6

7 2 Sheets-Sheet; 1

VIII/[III],

L. SLOAN ADJUSTABLE DRIVE April 9, 1940.

Fild Aug. 24, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- a 5 4 i i 5 i 2 1 Patented Apr. 9 ,v

' I ADJUSTABLE DRIVE} fiasmanic i fe 'o; assigridrltq'llibrse Chain g m 'an flthaca, Y., a corporation Of New s plitanbnatgd tct, 1936, Serial No. 97.543

Q This inv ntion relates Igiie al' tog slack ;-a'd-- in proportion to the amount of slack insaid-dee .terrupting operation of the chains to. be lad-.-

' I arrangement.

vices. a

. v 11 15 also an object of ;the ;invention to provide slackadjusting means, operable .withoutinjusted. I v

A further adjust a plurality of chains.

7 other object f the inventionuis,totprovide for. simultaneous adjustment .of --a .plurality. of

chains or the like.

in conjunction with a-.pairjof;chain or like drive elements connected by an idler, for adjustment of the. idler in such a path as to accuratelyiake up, slack in the chains and. restorethe assembly to the original phase relation between the drivy otherwise immovably'connected with one adjust- ,ing member such as the member 2'! to effect ade--.

ing and driven partsp A further object of the invention resides-sin the provision, in a chain drive comprising ajpair of chains and a cooperativecountershaft, .ofacounters'haft assembly adapted-"-1or {expeditious inser tion in and removaliromthe-assemblx.i v

I Further objects and advantages of the ,inven.- tion will appear as the description proceeds;

c Fig. 1 is a fragmentary section-elevation-showing theinvention applied to. an. enginesuch as .a Dieselengine, 1

Fig. 2 is an -enlarged,,fragmentar=y sec'tionelevation taken substantially as indicated by the line IIII in Fig. 1. .1 s

Fig.3 is an, enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the adjusting-mechanism.

- Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken Sta.

stantially as indicated by the line in Fig, 5 showsa diagram illustrating the path of jmovement of the icountershaft for correct -slack adjustment for a given chain and sprocket ,.,Fi'g. 6 shows a modified Qform ofthein ven Fig; 7 is an enlarged" fragmehtaryelevation of the adjusting'unitap'pearing Fig.3; f

Referring nowrrioreparticularly to the drawings, there is shown in'liigfll anbutliirefof an engine, such as a Diesel enginaprovided with an elongated casing orhousing structure comprising a a' crank shaft and c'am -shaft housings -ll and l2, and an inter'mediate section I l connected thereto. The housing lfl receives. acrank shaft '13 carrying a chain sprocket. M about which passes a chain'lfi. -The sprocket. [4.mayi be object of the; invention resides in the provision of-a single --mechanism operative to justing nuts "29 th'r'ea'ded on said bolts. The"? double toothed and provides an intermediate groove 5 in which guide links of the .chainare adapted to project to properly position the chainin cooperative relation to the sprocket. Mounted on. the intermediate housing H is a countersh'aft n5 11m whichi's journaled a double sprocket idler '18 "formed "to receive the chain l5 and to similarly receive a second chain IS. The chain 19, continues upv within the section I 2 and passes about shaft 20 and a'sprocket 2| keyed or otherwise :10

secured thereto.

In a twocycle engine, the cam shaft has the same rotary speed as the crank shaft, and if; desired the sprockets 14' and 2| may be of the same pitch diameter as shown;

- 1B The idler I8 is rotatably mounted on the countershaft l'l, the latterpassing thru the arms 22 of a yoke 23. The ends 24 of the yoke provide part-spherical sockets 25 receiving the partspherical ends 26 of the adjusting bolts 21 whose shanks extend loosely thru said ends. A hinge connection could be employed instead, affording movement in a plane normal to the drawings.

If desired, the yoke could be pivotally but quate adjustment of the countershaft sprocket. The bolts 2"! also extend loosely thru bosses 28' formed on the casing section H and receive adclearance permits adjustment of the bolts with out rattling.v I l In a chain drive, slack develops and it is accordingly necessary to provide some form of adjustment to take up the slack. It is of utmost taken up at the same time, and in proportion to the lengths of the chains, so that the phase relation between the crank shaft and cam shaft will not be disturbed. In orderthat the take-up I5 and 19 may be complete and simultaneous, provision is madeior the shift of the idler shaft I IT in a predetermined path. such that each point in the path is distant from the axes of the: crank 4:5 and cam shafts in a fixed ratio. This path is found graphically or by analytic geometry to be a circle. 'When the ratio equals unity, the diam-"- eter is infinite. When the ratio is not equal to unity the diameteris finite. When one of the distances is smaller than the -1 other, obviously the circle encloses the shaft'which is the smaller distance from'the idler or countershaft. 'Obvi-., vously also the circle passes thru the axis of'the on-thedine connecting the points A .and B-"aalndxm 35 importance that the slack in both chains "be of slack in the chains divides that line into two distances whose ratio is the same as that of the distances of the crank and cam shafts from the axis of the countershaft in Fig; l. The point C lies on a continuation of the line AB, and is distant from A and from B in the same ratio that the point is distant from the'point A and from the point B. Since the elongation of each chain is substantially proportional to the portion of its length. under tension, the length of which, portion is H equal or approximately equal to the distance between the axes of the sprockets engaged by the chain, it necessarily follows that'the idler shaft, when adjusted to take up the slack in both chains, is moved in the path of a circle, substantially.

Inasmuch as the points 0 and C represent the extreme positions theoretically, adapted to be cccupied by the counter-shaft axis while in the substantially circular path aforesaid, the distance 0C is a diameter of the circle. This diam: eter obviously is. the sum of the distances OB and BC.

Since the ratio of distances from anypoint on the circle to A andB is constant, which we will call K, it follows that and A0 D1amcter= The housing H is accordingly provlded wlth guide slots 30 extending in a substantially circular path enclosing the cam shaft 20 and whose diameter is obtained from the foregoing formula. The distance A0 as applied to Fig. 1 being the smallest distance between the axis of the crank shaft 13 and the circle.

The ends 3| of the shaft I! are reduced and fitted in bearing blocks 32 having walls 33 and walls 35 and 36. The pivot connection at 25 and 26 will permit this arcuatemovement of the idler shaft [1, and the adjusting nuts 29 may be operated to fixedly position said shaft at the point desired with thechains l and l 9 tightened to the desired extent. It will be observed that the slot 30 as shown in Fig. 3 affords adequate clearance to allow the. shaft I! to be adjusted to the left throughout a substantial extent to take up slack in the chains. Cover plate s 31 removably secured to the housing II serve to hold the blocks 32 in assembled relation with the remainder of the structure and may be removed when it is desired to dismantle the countershaft and sprocket assembly.

The housing H, as has been explained; forms with the idler sprocket assembly a unit removably bolted or otherwise removably secured-in place between the lower casing-section and upper casing section I2. The latter sections are preferably constructed to render the chains accessible for inspection at any time, so that a link of each chain may be removed to allow the housing H and associated sprocket'and shaft structure to be removed and replaced as a unit.

Figs. 6 and 7 show a chain drive arrangement differing from that of Fig. 1 only in that'the chains are of equal length whereas in Fig. 1 they are of unequal length. Quite obviously equal adjustment of the chains will be accomplished by adjusting the shaft I! in a straight line which the perpendicular bisector of the line of centers of the crank shaft and cam shaft. This is also evident upon reference to the above formula for the diameter of the circle constituting the focus of pointsthrough which the axis of the countershaft may pass in the various adjustments thereof. From said formula, it is evident that since the value of K for thearrangement of Figs. 6 and 7 having chains of equal length is unity, the

denominator becomes zero and accordingly the diameter is infinite, giving us a straight line. v

In view of this substantially straight line adjustment, the ball and socket connections at 25 and 26 in the previously described form of the invention need not be employed; Rather, ad-, justing bolts 40 may bethreaded or otherwise suitably secured to'the yoke 4! and extend loosely through the bosses 42 in the intermediate housing 43 andare held in adjusted position by the nuts 44 ina manner explained in connection with the previous form of the invention. The straightcluding the sprocket, countershaft and housin 43, may be accomplished in the same way as described inconnection with the first form of the invention. 4

- With the foregoing. construction, it will preciated that the adjustment and phase restoration may be effectedwithout stopping .the drive,

merely by backing away the nuts at the right, advancing the nuts at the left to the desired,

degrees oi. tension of the chains, and then tightening the nuts at the right to maintain the de sired adjustment.

. I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention. and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

' I claim as my invention:

1. In a chain drive, crank and cam shaft sprockets of substantially the same pitch, a countershaft double sprocket of substantially uniform.

pitch, a chain connecting said crank shaft sprocketto said double sprocket, a chain of the same strength and quality as the first menv tioned chain connecting said cam shaft sprocket the otherhousings and removable and installto said double sprocket,

forming part of an assembled unit secured to able without disturbing the other housings, and

means for adjusting said double sprocket in such .a path as to tension said chains in substantially such a path as to take up substantially the entire slack inboth chains at substantially the same time, said path being defined by a circle,

' the diameter of which is equal to where AC) and 013 are the distances from tlie AOXOB 2 X 013 intermediate sprocket to the driving and driven sprockets respectively.

3.1nachain drive, equal driving and driven sprockets, an intermediate double sprocket of uniformpitch, chains of unequal length and substantially equal strength and quality connecting said intermediate sprocket to said driving and driven sprockets, and means providing for adjustment of said intermediate sprocket in such a path as to take up substantially the entire slask in both chains substantially at the same time,

be p where A0 and OB are the distances from the housings for said sprockets, the countershaft housing and sprocket said path being defined by a circle the diameter of which is equal to U intermediate sprocket to the driving and driven sprockets respectively.

4. In a chain drive including driving and driven sprockets and housings for said sprockets, an assemblyflcomprising a sprocket, a counterceiving said ends,'a housing having opposed slots in which said blocks are slidable to vary the distance of the countershaft sprocket from the other tivo sprockets, covers for the slots, a yoke about said-shaft and having guiding bearing en gagement with said housing in parallelism with said slots to insure movement of said blocks in unison, means for adjusting said yoke and thereby said countershaft sprocket, and means for removably securing said countershaft housing to .the driving and driven sprocket housings to en able the assembly to be removed. and installed as a unit.

5. In a chain drive including driving and driven sprockets, and housings therefor, an assembly comprising a sprocket, a countershaft on which said last mentioned sprocket is mounted, a housing havinga slotted portion in which said countershaftsprocket is shiftably supported to shaft on which said sprocket is mounted, said shaft having reduced ends, bearing blocks revary. the'distance of said countershaft sprocket V from the other two sprockets, means for securing 'said countershaft sprocket in the desired adjustment, and means for removably securing said countershaft housing to the driving and driven sprocket housings to enable the assembly to be removed and installed as a unit.

6. In a chain drive including driving an driven sprockets and a countershaft sprocket distant from said driving and driven sprockets in a predetermined ratio and chains of "substantially equal strength and quality connecting said countershaft sprocket with said driving and driven -'sprockets, a support for said countershaft sprocket, means for shifting said sprocket relative to said driving and driven sprockets in a direction to take up slack in the chains, means including said'support for constraining movement of said countershaft to acircular path, all points of which are distant from the axes of the driving Y and driven sprockets substantially in said ratio,

adjusting means connected to said countershaft sprocket and including manipulating means accessible from the outside of the support and threaded to said adjusting means to adjust said' countershaft sprocket "in saidpath, the connection between said adjusting means and said countershaft sprocket affording such relative angular movement therebetween as adjustment of said countershaft sprocket may require.

LON SLOAN. 

